US looks forward to working with India in dealing with terrorism: American defence officials

Top ranking US defence department officials Thursday said they were looking forward to working with India to deal with terrorism as it was a common threat to the interests of both the countries.

"Counter-terrorism, I wouldn't call it necessarily just a strategy, it is an opportunity for cooperation with India to build interoperability, to engage in defence cooperation," US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia (DASD) Joseph H Felter said.

He was responding to a query about counter-terrorism as a strategy in defence and security cooperation between the US and India, in the wake of the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama.

"Terrorism is a common threat to the interests of both the nations and we look forward to working with India to address that," Felter told reports on the sidelines of Aero India show here.

US Defense Security Cooperation Agency Director Lieutenant General Charles Hooper said, "We look to work with our counterparts in the Indian defence ministry and the armed forces to help us to jointly address the challenges across the spectrum of our security environment."
Terming the signing of Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) between India and the US recently a "major milestone" in this direction, he said, "It will enable both the countries to deepen compatibility through weapon systems that includes secured communications and other technologies."